Strings of Hope:
How Pawnbrokers Brought the Music Back to Maui
Maui’s Aug. 2023 wildfires brought unimaginable devastation to the island, tearing through the historic town of Lahaina and leaving ashes in the place of thousands of buildings. Over 100 lives were tragically lost, marking the country’s deadliest wildfire in over a century. NPA member Richard Dan knows the pain all too well. He resides in Wailuku and owns the island’s oldest pawn store, Kamaʻāina Loan and Cash For Gold. His daughter-in-law, Sarina, was one of the victims of the Lahaina fire.
“No one who lives on the island was untouched by the fires,” said Dan.
In the wake of the wildfires, the little bit of business coming through Dan’s store was from people looking for replacement ‘ukulele.
“On Maui, they are like comfort food,” he said. “When you feel happy, you want to play the ʻukulele. When you are sad, you want to play the ʻukulele.”
Dan, who is also President of the Hawaiʻi Pawnbrokers Association, said pawnbrokers from all over the country reached out to ask how they could help. That’s when he got an idea.
“I cannot replace the homes that were destroyed,” said Dan, “but my friends in the pawn industry — here and on the Mainland — can replace a lot of the ʻukulele.”
When the NPA called to offer support, Dan shared his idea: donate hundreds of ‘ukulele to help displaced families in Lahaina cope with the trauma from the wildfires. The instruments would cost roughly $20,000 and needed to be ordered in the next three weeks.
I cannot replace the homes that were destroyed ... but my friends in the pawn industry — here and on the Mainland — can replace a lot of the ʻukulele.
So, the NPA got to work. Within 24 hours, they put the word out and jumpstarted a nationwide fundraiser, Pawnbrokers for Maui, to cover the cost of the instruments. Pawnbrokers and industry partners stepped up immediately.
As a result of the campaign, Dan had more than 400 ʻukulele to give to children at Lahaina schools who lost their homes in the August wildfires.
Though the fundraiser met its deadline, Dan still had to sort out the logistics of distributing the ʻukulele to a community that was still very much in recovery mode. It took months to coordinate with the local schools.
Finally, just a week shy of Christmas, the day came.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, Santa Claus—under the guise of a kind local pawnbroker—showed up at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park with his arms full of gifts. In under two hours, Dan and his staffers and volunteers distributed 350 Ohana ʻukulele to Lahaina school children on behalf of the NPA and Hawaiʻi Pawnbrokers Association.
“We were serenaded by kids and their parents,” said Dan. “A teacher picked up 27 ‘ukulele for her class and she was in tears of joy.”
NPA Executive Director Kristen Williams said, “We are honored to partner with Richard Dan and the Hawaiʻi Pawnbrokers Association on this fundraiser. We know that many people on Maui are struggling right now, and the very fabric of pawnbroking is to support our neighbors when they need it most.”
Williams called the Pawnbrokers for Maui initiative ‘a gesture of kindness to bring joy back to a community that has lost so much.’
“You saw the stories, you saw the pictures of the devastated neighborhoods,” said Dan. “It was shocking. In almost every burned house, there was a ʻukulele, maybe several. Rebuilding is a huge challenge, and I wondered what [I] could do. And I thought, I can do ʻukulele.”